Controversy Surrounds FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr's Alignment with Trump and Impact on Journalism
Brendan Carr, a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), testified at a Senate hearing that the FCC is not independent and that commissioners serve at the president's pleasure. Carr is closely aligned with former President Trump and his agenda, who has publicly demanded censorship and the revoking of broadcast licenses.
Following Carr's admission, the FCC removed references to its independence from its website, raising concerns about the agency's impartiality. Critics argue that Carr aims to define the public-interest standard in a way that serves the president, thereby undermining journalistic independence.
Carr has led investigations targeting media reports that upset Trump, such as coverage of KCBS's reporting on ICE raids, the editing of the 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, remarks made by Jimmy Kimmel, and the immigration case of Kilmarn Abrego García. In response to one such inquiry, KCBS demoted an anchor, reduced political coverage, and subjected its staff's social media posts to scrutiny by lawyers, with reporter Doug Sovern being sidelined.
Senator Ted Cruz has called for repealing the public-interest standard and the related 'news distortion rule,' while some Republicans, including Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, have also criticized Carr's approach. Carr's involvement in Paramount's $16 million settlement with Trump over the Harris interview and the subsequent merger with Skydance has raised concerns that settlement leverage may have influenced FCC approval.
This scrutiny of Carr highlights broader worries that the public-interest standard could be used as a backdoor mechanism to compromise newsroom independence and democratic journalism.
